Guyana inks rice deal with Venezuela – 3rd May 2013

For the visit of the Venezuelan Foreign Minister Elias Milan and the country’s Food Minister Felix Osorio, rice was at the top of the agenda.

Osorio and Minister of Agriculture Dr. Leslie Ramsammy signed a letter of commitment, saying Venezuelan will take 140, 000 tons of seed paddy this year and a further 70,000 tonnes of white rice.

The signing ceremony was witnessed by scores of rice farmers and even some millers, who were anxious for the agreement to be finalised.

Dr. Ramsammy will travel to Caracas on May 15th to put the finishing touches on the agreement, which he says ultimately leads to food security for both countries.

The agreement to export rice was secured by late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, and the new Government has pledged to continue the programmes of cooperation Chavez initiated with Guyana.

Today, the Venezuelan Foreign Minister and Guyana’s Foreign Minister Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, also signed off on an agreement for the sharing of information between law enforcement agencies of both countries in the fight against drug trafficking. In addition, through the agreement, the Venezuelan Government has agreed to help rehabilitate drug addicts.

The Venezuelan Ministers were due to open a shelter for the homeless up in Berbice today, but that event has been put off due to time constraints. The facility was built through the Social Fund of the Petrocaribe agreement in which countries in Latin America and the Caribbean import fuel from Venezuela on a preferential system.